New calendars good or bad?
- Thread starter kenjib
- Start date
Desdichado
Hero
Now that I've said I'm in favor of using a standard Georgian calendar, I am very much in favor of filling that calendar with unique holidays, celebrations and the like.
Crothian said:
Yeah, but that's only part of the issue. What if the player's know that it's the 4th reckoning of Yimbultoodinousario, year of the Tusk and that they have to accomplish their task before the moons align on the 10th of Chideniferocimulpuditous, year of the Duck? Bah, too much work and I think you lose some of the impression as to how much time that actually is compared to how easily we can get a feel for it with real dates.
Does it matter how important dates are in the campaign? In some (most?) campaign dates don't really come up very often, or things happen "in two fortnights" rather than using a calendar at all. I could see it maybe only being a problem in more time critical campaigns, so maybe it's not really a big deal either way most of the time.
It just doesn't seem like it adds enough to be worth the work to me.
Mouseferatu
Hero
I'm all for fantasy calendars, so long as they make sense and aren't too complicated to understand. I think it adds a nice feel to the campaign, a sense of verisimilitude that would otherwise be lacking.
It normally doesn't take that long for players to get used to it, if you use the calendar consistently. And if they aren't sure how much time they have before a certain date, you simply tell them "You've got 47 days," and move on.
It really isn't that much work. And to me, when the DM--or, even worse, the sourcebook--starts talking about "April 17," it really obliterates my suspension of disbelief. In fact, that's one of the few things I didn't like about Tolkien, and wish they'd changed in the movie.
It normally doesn't take that long for players to get used to it, if you use the calendar consistently. And if they aren't sure how much time they have before a certain date, you simply tell them "You've got 47 days," and move on.
It really isn't that much work. And to me, when the DM--or, even worse, the sourcebook--starts talking about "April 17," it really obliterates my suspension of disbelief. In fact, that's one of the few things I didn't like about Tolkien, and wish they'd changed in the movie.
Katerek
Iconic Gnoll
I have done both.
In my DnD game I have a very detailed calendar that charts moon phases, cycles of the eight cosmic elements, domains of the 28 demons of dusk and the corresponding angels of dawn, 27 years cycles of the dragon's tear comet, fluctuations in magicl nodes, and horoscopal birth bonuses and their corresponding days of boon and bane.
In my gurps campaigns which take place on earth in the modern day, I of course use the normal calendar of america, since we are americans.
The single most asked question I receive from my players regarding calendars is "What day is it?"
It has been my experience that they just flat out loose track of time and rely on my tracking abilities for when they need a reminder. Im the DM, it's my job.
In my DnD game I have a very detailed calendar that charts moon phases, cycles of the eight cosmic elements, domains of the 28 demons of dusk and the corresponding angels of dawn, 27 years cycles of the dragon's tear comet, fluctuations in magicl nodes, and horoscopal birth bonuses and their corresponding days of boon and bane.
In my gurps campaigns which take place on earth in the modern day, I of course use the normal calendar of america, since we are americans.
The single most asked question I receive from my players regarding calendars is "What day is it?"
It has been my experience that they just flat out loose track of time and rely on my tracking abilities for when they need a reminder. Im the DM, it's my job.
CrazyMage
4th Level Lawful Good Cleric
You need at least one non-serious answer, and it might as well come from CrazyMage
I hate using new calendars; I just keep using the classic 1987 calendar for everything. No need for new-fangled "2002" calendars; just good old standby of 1987. Yep...
on topic:
I use a simple variation of the Gregorian, mainly as a simple flavor change.
I hate using new calendars; I just keep using the classic 1987 calendar for everything. No need for new-fangled "2002" calendars; just good old standby of 1987. Yep...
on topic:
I use a simple variation of the Gregorian, mainly as a simple flavor change.
Davelozzi
Explorer
I think that a fantasy calendar adds to the world, although I prefer to keep to a seven day week. I think the secret is simply to also mention the season.
"It's the 26th of Prairial, three days before the summer solstice"
or "It's the 10th of Brumaire, a crisp mid-autumn day"
Yes, if anyone is wondering, I use a modified version of the French Revolutionary calendar in my campaign. It's a nice logical calendar but is unfamiliar enough to work for my players/world.
"It's the 26th of Prairial, three days before the summer solstice"
or "It's the 10th of Brumaire, a crisp mid-autumn day"
Yes, if anyone is wondering, I use a modified version of the French Revolutionary calendar in my campaign. It's a nice logical calendar but is unfamiliar enough to work for my players/world.
i've wrestled with this question myself several times.
i just recently started a Star Wars campaign. i'm sure there's probably an "official" SW calendar floating around somewhere, but i decided not to bother looking for one.
i wanted a calendar that would be fairly transparent and intuitive to the players, but also give some semblance of feeling like it belonged in the SW universe.
so i just took our calendar and substituted the month names with the first 12 letters of the "Aurebesh" -- the Star Wars alphabet. (Aurek, Besh, Cresh, etc.)
it makes it pretty easy to remember: January is the "A" month, February is the "B" month, etc.
for my last fantasy world, i didn't really have to worry too much about basing the calendar around seasonal changes or things like that: the world was flat and everywhere had the same subtropical climate. the weather never really changed too much throughout the year. so having to describe things like, "It's the middle of spring," or "it's toward the end of fall," would be rather pointless. thus, i could get away with using a totally made-up calendar, because the players didn't really need to relate the dates to anything in our world.
i just recently started a Star Wars campaign. i'm sure there's probably an "official" SW calendar floating around somewhere, but i decided not to bother looking for one.
i wanted a calendar that would be fairly transparent and intuitive to the players, but also give some semblance of feeling like it belonged in the SW universe.
so i just took our calendar and substituted the month names with the first 12 letters of the "Aurebesh" -- the Star Wars alphabet. (Aurek, Besh, Cresh, etc.)
it makes it pretty easy to remember: January is the "A" month, February is the "B" month, etc.
for my last fantasy world, i didn't really have to worry too much about basing the calendar around seasonal changes or things like that: the world was flat and everywhere had the same subtropical climate. the weather never really changed too much throughout the year. so having to describe things like, "It's the middle of spring," or "it's toward the end of fall," would be rather pointless. thus, i could get away with using a totally made-up calendar, because the players didn't really need to relate the dates to anything in our world.
jollyninja
First Post
Crothian said:
granted but i'll bet you and your DM would give similar answers. alot of players will never put forth the effort to learn the new callendar. i know enough useless stuff, your homebrews calendar is not going to stay in my mind at all because i will consiously try to block it out. as for published stuff, without a calendar, it would come off a little amateurish.
Similar Threads
